The Price of a Bloom
by WhimsicalHeart
Summary: What happens when Kumoi picks a flower he really shouldn't have in a garden that wasn't his? He annoys the owner who must now look after his little sister loosely based on beauty and the beast . will hopefully be humorous later.
1. Price of a Bloom

**The Price of a Bloom**

A/N: this is kinda based on the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast (I hesitate to say loosely but it's probably an accurate term) and a bit off the original fairy tale. I think this is quite a common theme but oh well, it's my take on things. I don't write if people don't like what I'm writing so tell me what you think. I'm not saying don't post negative reviews if that's what you think, that's what you think and I respect that. I do ask that you try to be civil and I'll do the same. I tend to write very colloquially, if I use funny terms or phrases just shout. I try not to or to change things when I proof read but seeing as I am not nobody I'm not perfect.

Disclaimer: I don't own -man or its characters, malheureusement, I am in no way related to it, I don't even have a connection to the janitors that clean the building where it is published. The plot is based on beauty and the beast so I figure I don't own that either. I don't own much.

xxx

One of the best examples of human personality is a child's game. Broken telephone. In the beginning a story is true, free of embellishments and fantasy. As we move on it grows, changes, transforms and finally it seems to take on a life of its own. At first it sounds similar to the original but it deviates bit by bit until it is unrecognizable. We all do it, with any story we make it more interesting and sometimes, sometimes we do it to ourselves. In every story there is a root, a central point, something you would reach if you stripped away all deception. Sometimes we forget that and time as well as people hide it.

xxx

In a quaint little cottage just outside an equally quaint town in a France a young girl prepared to go into town. She was a pretty, Chinese girl who looked to be about 16. She checked her basket, it had the book she'd recently borrowed from the library and a shopping list. Her suitor was absent and she decided to take advantage of this to go into town. The hunting season was her favourite and least favourite season. Favourite because Skinn was mainly away hunting, least favourite because when he got back she had to try and wriggle her way out of going to see what he'd killed. Skinn simply didn't know how to take a hint. Part of her missed her life with her brother when they'd roamed. _Such a little town _she thought as she crossed the bridge that separated her from the village. _Such a quite village, the days are monotonous, each one resembles the last. It is filled with little people and in 5-4-3-2-1 they're going to say… _

"Bonjour!"(good day)

Typical she could even predict what would happen, the baker passed her setting out the same selection of bread he'd had for the past 4 years, ever since she came. She felt the villagers' eyes on her, some because she was quite pretty and all because she was exotic. Not only in looks but behaviour too. She had not been raised as the village girls were and part of her suspected that they watched her because they weren't sure how sane her brother Kumoi was. Qui sait? (who knows) maybe insanity was hereditary. Not that Kumoi was crazy, not in his sister's eyes. He was a genius.

xxx

Branches tore at the man, his hair was full of debris, his clothes a mess and his possessions forgotten but he ran like a man possessed, as though hounds were on his heels, like he was terrified of something. His lips moved incessantly panic guided him. Anybody close enough to hear his frantic murmurs would have been slightly confused as to what he meant, but anybody who knew him, and few enough did, may well have shared in his fear.

"Lenalee, Lenalee… be safe … stay in the house… gotta get there first, stop him … can't let him get Lenalee… hide her, hide her I need to get back to the cottage"

xxx

In the same quaint cottage a few miles south of the man sat his young Chinese sister. Warm brown eyes crinkled at the sides, well worn line defined her eyes, the type you got from smiling endlessly. She had a porcelain skin with lightly flushed cheeks and long black hair. She was carrying a tray into a room of men her brother had left behind to keep an eye on her. Even though she was 16 and he was due back that evening he refused to leave her alone. On the way to the room she passed the portraits of parents she had no memory of and the brother who'd raised her. Her European style dress flowed behind her.

"Johnny, Reever, Tapp! Can I offer anybody coffee?"

The men who had been lying as if dead on the paper work that filled the room made it to her in record time, soon her tray was much lighter.

"Ah, you are such a life saver Lenalee, I swear if your brother wasn't such a genius and you didn't make the best coffee in the world I'd never agree to help him on these crazy schemes of his."

"So right Johnny, Lenalee have you ever thought of introducing a filing system to him and the idea of working. I swear it's easier to catch a greased pig than it is to make Kumoi work" Reever joked while Johnny and Tapp polished off their coffee.

"I'll make a point of doing so Reever though it would be the 50 millionth time I'd tried. It's like trying to make him stop making those silly little experiments."

They all winced at the memory of some of the nastier things they'd produced. The science group (that was what the four of the called themselves) had been unable to stop crying for a week after the Onion Bomb. They'd all been willing to kill Kumoi when he found something that made caffeine repulsive and Lenalee had been embarrassed numerous times by the dolls Kumoi made her. Fashioned with his unique hair they sang lullabies. More specifically they droned in a terrifying monotone "Sleep, sleep my beautiful Lenalee". They all laughed and Lenalee peered out the window into the dark, searching for the first signs of her brother's return. She was vaguely annoyed as his dinner was getting cold but other than that she was filled with anticipation.

"Go upstairs Lenalee, get yourself ready for bed you know how he worries when you wait up for him. We'll call you the second he's near. That way everyone is happy. Kumoi would never risk upsetting you, unless it was about a boy but you're not interested in that Skinn boy. Are you?"

"Ergh no, definitely not. 'kay Tapp but don't be late." She warned laughing at the same time. She had a beau in the village. A big man called Skinn Bolic. All muscles and no brains. He didn't even look good either, but his uncle Millennium was very influential. He was, in fact, an earl and a lord. She strongly suspected that he was an earl because he had a rather larger pile of money and a willingness to help the crone fight wars. Kumoi had attacked him and Skinn several times. Actually whenever Skinn came within 10 meters of Lenalee Kunoi was likely to pop up and attempt to destroy the man who was about three times his size. He'd landed in the pig pen once. Lenalee hadn't been able to stop herself laughing for ages after that. She suspected that Kumoi disliked Skinn for the same reasons plus the additional one. Skinn was interested in Lenalee because he thought her to be the prettiest girl in the village. He considered himself the best and as such believed only the best would do for him. He was interested in 3 things: Lenalee, sweets and hunting. She had to be careful when she went to the library. Skinn didn't believe that women should read. Lenalee thought that he couldn't read himself. He'd torn her book in half and dumped it in the mud. The librarian had seen the whole incident and had been very sweet about it. He hadn't expected her to replace the book because he knew she and Kumoi sometimes struggled. The only thing in Skinn's favour was that he didn't laugh at Kumoi and call him crazy. She got the nasty feeling that it was only because he realised that she didn't like people who did. It was on the way up the stairs that she was tackled.

"KUMOI- NI-SAN!"

Her scream brought the science group running. Her bedraggled brother gripped her legs desperately. They helped him up and lead him to a seat. After a few false starts he began to talk comprehensibly. He seemed obsessed with holding on to Lenalee, confirming she was there. He muttered something about not letting him get her. Then he began with his story, in typical Kumoi fashion.

"It began on my trip back, or was it this past winter? That is a debatable, when a story truly begins, but I digress" he said hastily as he caught sight of his sister's face. "Do you remember we lost those plants this winter in that blizzard?"

They weren't rich they lived in a humble cottage but Lenalee had always maintained the garden and it had always been beautiful. She loved her plants. Sentimental since childhood she had always been affected by her garden. Kumoi used to tease her about it. stubborn enough to try and move mountains but sentimental enough to weap at the changing of the seasons. She'd lost her two favourite plants. The white rose bush and the Lotus tree.

"You know that forest beyond the village, the one everybody fears, well I got lost and found myself in there. The mist made things confusing but I soon realised that I was in a palace the walls of a palace. I felt as if someone was watching me but I dismissed the feeling when I saw the garden properly. They had the most beautiful plants and while I knew I couldn't bring you new plants but I thought just the blooms would be sufficient. Then as I picked the lotus that monster appeared from nowhere. He was furious, he accused me of stealing that which he was most attached to, then he said he'd return the favour and take what was most precious to me. it felt like he turned my head inside out. Then he said your name Lenalee. He said, he said…" Kumoi broke off into sobs at that point and pulled Lenalee closer to himself. It took them a few minutes to calm him enough to continue with his story.

" '_A girl huh? Well she seems to be rather decent, she can cook at least. Haven't seen a new face in years. I'll go fetch her. Che. Probably more trouble than it is worth.' _Then he through me down and left. I hurried back here as fast as I could"

Lenalee was a mixing pot of emotions, part of her was furious. How dare a strange man threaten her brother like that and decide what he was going to do with her without consulting her first. Part of her was worried; Kumoi looked pretty shaken and quite badly scratched. Part of her was exasperated and a tiny part of her was scared.

"Don't worry chief we'll protect Lenalee. We've pulled all nighters for unimportant things like work we can do one to protect Lenalee-chan" Reever declared.

"Yeah" Johnny agreed "Don't under estimate the power of the Science Team!"

xxx

"Brother Kumoi?"

"Yes my dear Lenalee?"

"You don't think this," she gestured at the chaos around her: "is over doing it?"

Johnny, Kumoi, Reever and Tapp stood round her bed with hard hats and some, er fascinating weapons. Kumoi appeared to be carrying an oversized drill and the rest… well she didn't know about the rest. There was trip wire round the windows and at the door and flat bombs that swelled and exploded when pressure was applied decorated the floor. The slightly more sarcastically practical part of her commented that reaching the bathroom could prove to be difficult. He sat on the edge of her bed and softly rubbed her head. Mussing her hair and he smiled softly.

"Of course it is my dear, nothing is too much if it for your safety now just sleep soundly knowing that we are here."

Yeah, right. Like _that_ was going to happen.

xxx

He stopped outside the house. It was well kept, good, he couldn't stand messy people. It was, it seemed, the girl who was responsible for the up keep of the house. He passed by the locked door with no more trouble than he would have passed by an unlocked one. He ascended the stairs and pushed open the door to the girl's room. An amusing scene assaulted his eyes. 4 men stood guard round a bed. It seemed they had booby trapped the room. They all turned to face him as he came in. He prepared to draw his trusty Mugen as they attacked simultaneously; it proved to be a superfluous move. He made few enough of those. The men incapacitated themselves as they forgot their traps. The one with bushy was thrown across the room as he stood on a paper envelope. His fat friend ran to help him and tripped over a piece of wire that ran round the room. Metal onions fell from the roof and promptly released some form or sort of gas. They all started weeping and trying to clear their eyes. He dealt with the fool who had trespassed into his garden and another with quick blow to the base of their necks. The gas stung slightly as he neared the bed but he healed almost immediately. He scooped up the girl who seemed to be in a deep sleep and slung her over his shoulder. Now to get back.

xxx


	2. Waking

A/N: I'm trying to make the characters into objects based on 2 things. I've tried to match personalities. The personalities and past of the actual -man characters to objects and to the personalities of people like Lumière, Cogsworth and co in the movie to what I made them. Have I succeeded? Pray tell. There is just one that has nothing to do with either. Leverrier. I hate that man, in my head I call him the cockroach man. Need I say anymore? I put the translations next to the words because I can't stand having to reference the end of a story. Please review otherwise I have to create people in my head to tell me what they think of the story and when I talk to myself people get the funny idea that I'm insane. (Can you believe it?)

Disclaimer: ok today we are going to have an exercise in common sense, the author of -man is currently on Hiatus, I quite obviously am writing. You do the maths. Beauty and the Beast came out in the year I was born, you can either think I was a really amazing foetus or realise I don't own beauty and the beast.

**Waking**

Lenalee woke in a strange room, she was in a four poster bed with a lacy white spread and blue details. Beautiful, ornate, gold fittings decorated the room and it was well furnished to boot. An old fashioned wardrobe and a grandfather clock were what caught her attention most though she wasn't sure why. A cockroach scrambled across the floor. Instinct took over and she slid on the slippers next to the bed and stood on it, pressing down with all her weight.

"I wouldn't bother," came a voice from near the wardrobe: "we've been trying to kill him for ages. Leverrier is worse than most cockroaches, virtually impossible to kill, unfortunately."

She walked round the wardrobe peered under it then scratched her head. She couldn't seem to find the source of the voice.

"I'm talking you half wit."

She screamed and hastened backwards till her back met the grandfather clock. The wardrobe could talk! It had a face and everything and it was addressing her. That was definitely not right. Then she realised that the clock was clearing its throat. Apprehensively she turned to face it.

"G-g-g-good morning, Kanda-san wanted to talk to you when you woke up."

"Who the heck is Kanda? What am I doing here? Scratch that, where is here. Where's my brother?"

It seemed that was not the best idea, the clock promptly had a nervous breakdown.

"I have upset you, I am so sorry; I am useless, I am so sorry."

"What Miranda is trying to tell you is that you are in the 14th's palace. We, the inhabitants, are cursed and exist outside of time, Kanda is half the reason we are like this is in the centre of a forest. Your brother is where ever Kanda left him."

Lenalee's resolve returned and she stormed towards the door.

"Where exactly do you think you're going" demanded a voice on ground level.

"Do us all a favour and throw him out the window." The wardrobe said.

Lenalee obliged, pests were not on her list of favourite things and ones that were not just bugs but annoying too were pretty high on her list of things she hated most.

"Where ar-are y-y-y-you going L-l-l-lenalee- chan?" the clock asked between sobs.

"I'm going to march up to that stuck up prick of yours and give him a piece of my mind. How _dare_ he kidnap me and hurt Kumoi?!"

"Very brave, do you have a death wish by any chance?"

She humphed and closed her hand round the door knob, intent on ignoring them.

"D-don't you think Lulubell- san should get you a dress first?"

She looked down at herself, her nightie wasn't the most terrifying garment on god's earth though if her cheeks were as red as they felt she could make herself look pretty angry.

xxx

Kanda rubbed his neck and glared at his house mates, they seemed to find his predicament hilarious. He'd been shot with a dart from a blow gun by that bastard. The paralysing solution inside it seemed was not a common concoction. While his healing ability had dealt with most of the problem it still stung a little. Next time he vowed to hit the man harder. There was a knock on the door and the girl from the previous night entered. She'd been the source of all his problems but he had been highly annoyed when that foolish older brother of hers had dared to destroy his lotuses. For one insignificant, puny, useless human he'd created more problems than should be allowed. He'd even got stupid Tyki on his case for carrying the girl like 'a sack of potatoes'. They'd spent the past half hour arguing about why Kanda hadn't carried her bride style.

"I'm sorry but which one of you gentlemen is Kanda?"

"The one on the left with the mean look on his face sweet heart"

"Baka usagi!" (Japanese stupid rabbit).

The girl seemed to be unsure of what to think about the candlestick that was doing little short of drooling. That would be just his luck, she'd be stupid too. Then her eyes locked on him and she attacked.

"You, you, you how _dare_ you kidnap me and harm my brother."

Years of fighting kept him from being kicked but just barely, she was good, she also had a lot of force behind those kicks.

"You sir are a foul, horrible monster and I demand to be taken home _immediately_"

"Ne bakanda don't you think it is amazing how she understands your personality so quickly?"

"Shut up Moyashi"

"The name is Allen!"

Kanda grew tired of dodging the girl and quite simply grabbed her leg as it flew towards him and threw her into a couch. She glared at him with such utter and complete fury that he was taken aback for a moment. No that he showed it, not that he ever would. He simply moved to his quite place and glared back.

xxx

Lenalee sat up outraged and ready to have another go at the man. The look he gave her kept her in her chair. The last man in the room, the one who'd directed her to Kanda after the candelabra said to look for the mean looking one, made his way to her. He sat next her and turned her head his way. He seemed to be examining her. She jerked her chin out of his hands, still angry.

"She certainly is a beauty Kanda, quite a catch. Bit feisty you'll get on well Welcome my dear, I am Tyki Mikk. Half of the curse that binds this place was placed on me, the other half on Mr Sunshine, Kanda, the one you were fighting with earlier. The white haired gent is Allen Walker."

The white haired boy in question bowed slightly by way of greeting and the other simply made a noise that sounded like "che".

"Lenalee Lee"

"Allen lives here because his father's brother, my brother, was the one who cursed it. Your brother forfeited something when he came into the Ark. Since he tried to take that which means the most to Kanda, Kanda had to take what meant the most to him. Just one of those funny rules. It means you fall under Kanda's protection for the rest of this life, or till the curse breaks, which ever comes first."

He laughed at the look on her face when he concluded his speech. She wondered why he didn't simply call Allen Walker his nephew but then again surely his brother's brother was his brother too. Maybe it was his half brother?

"If it helps," the boy called Allen said: "Kanda isn't any happier about this than you are, would you like a tour of the ark? It'll be your home for quite some time, nothing has aged her for the past 2 centuries."

She nodded mutely, only sparing the time to shoot another glare in Kanda's direction before heading off with Allen.

xxx

15 miles away, as the crow flies, the science team was coming to. Distraught over their failure to protect Lenalee. Kumoi was trying to figure out what had gone wrong and was ready to destroy all his inventions.

"Lenalee" they sobbed.

"I have an idea for the savoir of the science team and Lenalee- chan. Its name is Komurin"

xxx

"So how many people have you met so far?"

"Err, Lulubell, Miranda and Leverier."

"Ah, I see. Don't try to squash Leverier even though he gets really annoying at times, you're just wasting your time he doesn't ever-"

"Die? Yeah I found that out. So where are we going?"

"Well the kitchen first, it's breakfast time so we'll catch a few people. Then I'll give you a tour of the rest of the Ark."

"Everyone calls this place the Ark but why, it doesn't make any sense to me isn't an ark just a chest where the Jews kept the Ten Commandments, or an oversized boat."

"Well it's actually called Noah's Ark but we just call it the Ark for short. As for the why I haven't a clue, that's what Mana always used to call it."

"Mana?"  
"My dad, but he's been dead for a long time. I think he grew tired of living after my uncle died. He was very upset that he couldn't save his little brother."

"Oh I'm sorry, truly, I know what it is like to lose a parent."

They walked in silence for awhile lost in their own thoughts, through ornate halls, lit with torches and carved with marble.

"Where are we now?"

"Nearly at the kitchen, close to the South Wing I think. I'm not good with finding my way, I can get to my room or the kitchen and nowhere else really. The place is massive, just don't go into the west wing and you'll be fine."

_Why is he leading me round if he tends to get lost_? Out loud she simply asked:

"Why can't I go into the west wing?"  
"Well it's a really big house, so you don't really need to go up there, there are so many other places to go. It's awful boring"

xxx

"Ne, Jerry, I'm hungry."

"Is that supposed to surprise me Allen? Ah who is this cute girl? Welcome my dear, I am jerry the chef, I am in charge of this kitchen, please feel free to request anything at anytime of day."

Lenalee had already decided that nothing could shock her in this topsy turvy world when a candlestick, that she vaguely remembered from when she attacked Kanda, rushed to her after shouting 'Strike!'.

" Enchante, chère mademoiselle! I am Lavi" he said as he kissed her hand. "If there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable please let me kno-"

He was cut off as a book entitled 'The Big Book of Panda's' rammed into him.

" Good morning mademoiselle, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Bookman and the brat who assaulted you is Junior or Lavi. Please excuse him, I will deal with him. There will never be such a lapse in behaviour again."

She giggled, amused by their antics. She wondered if there was a library somewhere. She wasn't what you would call a bookworm but she certainly enjoyed to curl up with a good book from time to time. She doubted that Bookman would be very impressed if she tried to read _him_. Strange as this place was and upset as she was to be separated from Kumoi part of her wondered if she wouldn't fit in here like she never had at the village. She knew people thought her odd and as crazy as her brother because she read and because she had learnt kick boxing. She knew they stared at her when she went into town, she had once asked Kumoi if he thought she was odd and he'd vehemently denied it. He'd preached to her with an overly long glove puppet round his neck, his scarf on his hand and a spanner behind his ear. Threatening to kill, mutilate and torture anybody who dared to imply such a thing. Not necessarily in that order. He hadn't really reassured her. She had, however, decided that weird was a relative term.

"I'm Lenalee Lee, it is a pleasure to meet you. Could you possibly make me some bacon, eggs, toast and coffee? S'il- vous plait?"(French: please, vous is formal for you)

"Mais oui ma chère, tu peut me tutoyer!(but yes my dear. You can address me with _tu_ (informal/ friendly version of vous)) Allen what do you want. You'll have to wait till after we've fed Lenalee or she'll starve waiting for me to make all your food!"

"Ok. I'll have bacon, eggs, two scrambled, three fried, one boiled and one poached, tempura, toast, 17 slices, mince, 10 tomatoes, chocolat chaud, dango, the

usual amount, muesli and tea to wash it all down."

Lenalee's mouth nearly hit the floor after the amazing list of food, how could one person eat that much?! He did, quite easily. He must have started eating some ten minutes after her but he finished a bit before. The thing that truly amazed Lenalee was that even though he was eating at a merry rate of knots he had perfect table manners. Not once had he chewed with his mouth open, put his elbows on the table or burped. She quickly finished off her food and was about to wash her plate when the cook stopped her.

"Oh no my dear, the tap and sink are perfectly capable of doing it themselves, besides you're our guest! I could never allow it."

"Oh would you introduce me?"

"They're animated because they exist within the castle but they were not alive to begin with. We can't introduce them because they do not have names and personalities as you understand. They do the work they were created for nothing more." Lavi the candelabra explained. "Hey, hey, hey what are you doing moyashi?!" he demanded as Allen picked him up.

"It's Allen, besides my boots are taller than you, you can hardly call me a moyashi. We're taking Miss Lenalee on a tour but if you'd rather she couldn't see…"

"No, no. that's fine, I'm a great person to take you on this tour, I'm the bookman's apprentice so I know a lot of the history of this place and when you hear about the fourteenth, that was a scary guy, I mean do you know he- "

"Fool, do not share information that was entrusted to our noble order, it is the bookman's privilege to do such." The Panda book explained after kicking Lavi, again!

"Ow Panda! At least we can make sure Allen doesn't get them lost."

xxx

Tyki Mikk glanced out the window of his rooms to the courtyard where the girl was being shown the garden. She was quite a charming creature, she'd certainly bring some life to the place. He wondered if he'd be able to use her coming to his advantage. If Kanda would try to use her to his. He doubted that, the sword's man was far too proud. Life here was not bad, they ate well, had a bed to sleep in and a warm house but that was it. He knew his family yearned to use their limbs again and he missed his gift and his freedom. He fingered his mirror, the only window he had to the world outside. Bound for centuries, behind these walls would be hard on anyone but for someone who had once been able to choose in everything it was nigh on unbearable. All for a silly family feud, he couldn't even remember what started it.

"Tyki, Tyki, I can't see, lift me up!"

He bent over and carefully lifted the doll that had once been his niece onto the window sill. He marvelled at how the enchanter had caught the essence of everybody when he changed them. Little Rhoade the porcelain doll, eternally young and playful, but so attached to those who played with her, her family, and so fragile, breakable. Frivolous and capricious too, she'd like this new girl, want to have her as part of the nursery.

"This'll be fun Tyki, look she's with Allen-kun! Can't I go play too?"

"I'm sure you can. Do you want me to take you down?"


	3. The New Girl

**A/N:** guys you know you get the story traffic info that you can go and read? Is there any particular reason why there is a massive gap between the number of reviews we are receiving and the number of people opening our story? We (We warned you we'd create someone who was interested in reviewing if we didn't receive enough).have anonymous review on too so really you have no excuse. You don't need to be extravagant and write me an analysis of everything, just say "cool" or "nice". If you say it's bad please tell us why even if you just say "not my thing". We can't improve if we don't know what we've done wrong. We think it may be a bit out of character for certain characters, because a) they are hard to write and b) if they had lived in a castle for years as little household things we figure they would have to change at least a little. This can be considered a gift chapter (which is why it is so long) because we are about to start exams (joy to the world) and then we go straight into holidays and have absolutely no internet access (so sorry, it's not our fault, my dad thinks the internet fries my brain). On the bright side I have 3 weeks to write (last week of holidays we're dong science along with the rest of matric, ain't it great) I'm going to stop here or the author's note will be longer than the story.

**Disclaimer: **we are sure that Hoshino-sensei is perfectly sane, so obviously she and we are two very different people. We also only have two of us in here and beauty and the beast was credited to a whole team of people (as in more than one girl and her imaginary friend)

**The New Girl**

_They'd been fighting for ages now, neither giving ground, neither gaining. Enchanted blade met family talent and they moved apart, barely for a second. Moving forward again the second their feet touched ground. Seconds bled into minutes and minutes seemed hours as fatigue began to make itself known. An old woman stumbled on to the field. _

"_Have a heart" she pleaded, standing barefoot in the cold snow. They ignored her intent on their fight. They fought round her one to proud to help an old woman if it would cost him his fight, another careless because of his own abilities, lacking in compassion. The latter shoved her roughly aside so he could meet the samurai who was a hindrance to all his family sought to do. Nobody checked on the old woman, who now lay a crumpled heap in the snow. As the sword's man pursued his opponent he found her lying in his way._

"_Move" he shout leaping over her head. "Go seek shelter elsewhere"_

"_Oh I will" promised a voice that sounded like it could not belong to the frail, old, female body. Throwing back the hood of her worn, travelling coat she stood to face them. Except it was no she, but the youngest son of the Noah family. The fourteenth son. The one with no interest in his family's business and standards. Nameless even to his siblings._

"_You, you who cannot stop even for a suffering old lady will be cursed. I will hold you still in time in our lovely ark, fitting ne brother. You can learn to live with each other and those that fight for your cause. You will remain there and unless my spell says otherwise you may never leave. You specially brother, I will leave you with a looking glass, one that can show you the world, but if you would fight so courageously for our home then you will never leave it again. Should the need arise you will have to rely on your enemy to be your ears and body in the outside world. Should anyone ever take or destroy that which value the most you will take what is most precious to them as compensation but you will never be able to let it get damaged. If you do the price will be severe. You will stay as you are till you learn to swallow your pride and you learn to care for those who have no relation to yourself! Or one day your faults will take what you love most"_

***

"That is the pergola. It was built in the 13th century by the first lord of this palace. It was designed for his wife who was very fond of the out doors but it was not considered benefiting of a well bred lady to run around outside. It was designed so that it is cool at nearly all times. Very pleasant place for a spot of lunch."

"How is that relevant to the history of it brat?! Phrase it more intelligently, have I taught you nothing? It was mademoiselle also intended mainly for summer use. The lady of the castle was a very fragile woman and would often suffer in the heat of summer. The pergola was her refuge and often where she had her luncheon."

"Mmm, why do you to always tell the boring side of history, I'm sure there has to be something fun."

Lenalee turned round and saw a little doll struggling across the lawn. She seemed to be porcelain. Worry ran through Lenalee, she was trying to climb over the flower bed wall and there was a hard, stone walk way directly beneath her. She crossed the distance between them in 3 short steps and picked up the doll, successfully averting a catastrophe. The doll was an odd little thing, made of finest porcelain, in dress that would actually be quite fashionable in this era. Complete with tiny shoes, lace and bows. Yet her porcelain was a dark gray colour and crosses marred her forehead. Her hair was not the fashionable ringlets (preferably blond) that one would inevitably find on a doll but a short, spiky, black mess.

"Mistress Rhoade~~~~~ wait for relo~relo"

A pink umbrella followed behind, wailing its head off. The head was that of a jack-o-lantern commonly found on all hallows' eve. The little gold blob with wings that had joined them early flew round and round the hand that was holding the doll, bit 'Mistress Rhoade' and flew back to Allen.

"Can I sit on your shoulder, please, please, please? I'll help you with the tour seeing as **my** family actually owns this establishment."

She stuck out a perfect pink tongue at Lavi.

"He never wants to play with me," she whispered softly in Lenalee's ear as she placed the little doll on her left shoulder: "he did once and he refused to afterwards cause I made him go a little funny."

"Ah"

She tuned out the argument, vaguely amused but more interested in the garden, she could easily see herself spending a majority of her time here. The garden was pleasant, the gazebo charming and in general it was quite enough for her to lose herself in thought. Not a bad view either, her eyes flickered to the Ark, it was beautiful, no doubt about it, majestically rising from the ground, marble and glass surrounded by natural beauty. A well gilded cage, she'd never truly understood that till now. Something flickered in her peripheral vision, instinct turned her head to the source of the movement, though common sense told her that that meant someone knew you'd seen them. Confusion fluttered against the edges of her mind, whatever it was, it was moving at the same pace she was. She turned slowly, then quickly but it remained, elusively at the edge of her vision. Wearily she raised her hand to the side of her head, it caught on something soft and silky. A ribbon? She was about to pull on it when a little hand tapped on hers.

"No, no, your hair looks so nice like this, leave it alone!"

***

Two months passed peacefully in the enchanted palace, it was a bit of a shock to the newest inhabitant to see how long she'd been there. She was familiar with most of the castle and her fellow inmates by now and slowly but surely they were getting used to her. She had pulled herself from the depression that had threatened to consume her when she had first arrived there but at times it still pulled at her heart.

***

In the forest, some miles away.

Four men battled through the under growth, clawing back at the plants that left small, sting cuts everywhere.

"You're lost supervisor"

"No, no, I know it was this way, we'll find it! Never fear Lenalee-chan, your big brother is coming to save you."

It was a mystery to the rest of them as to how he retained the permanently, devoted optimism so far as the search was concerned, then again maybe it had something to do with how he seemed to have avoided carrying one of the enormous packs, full of heavy equipment.

"Supervisor, remind me again why we are carrying these and what exactly the overgrown flies are for."

"Overgrown _flies?!?_! How dare you Reever, these are golems, the epitome of technology, they can be used as wireless communicators over great distances, the packs you are carrying have the equipment we need to use their eyes and ears." He tutted away, all the while searching for the correct path. Eventually he seemed to decide.

"This way"

***

Lenalee sat curled up with a book in the marquee, in one of the swing seats that decorated the edges. She absentmindedly stirred her cup of tea as she became more and more interested in her book. It was a history of female pirates, she was currently reading the history of Anne Bonny and Mary Reed. Rhoade was pinning her hair up for the umpteenth time that day. She'd soon learnt it was pointless to argue, when Tyki and Allen were both occupied Rhoade would inevitably come to play with Lenalee's hair. She was always accompanied by Relo the umbrella. Timcampy usually stayed with Lenalee when Rhoade was present. She's also gained a permanent follower in the form of a natural, anti-hive remedy called Bak Chan and a tea pot that followed him faithfully called Wok. He'd made her tea and always seemed to be tending to Bak, who (quite ironically from her point of view) had a tendency to break out in hives. He'd gotten especially attached to her after a wine glass called Marian Cross had met her. He'd freaked out nearly as much as Allen had. Allen, he was just impossible, she'd been trying to get him to drop the vous and the honorific titles but to no avail. He was always so polite using the conditional and always so careful in what he said. (conditional is basically a polite was of talking like saying pourrias instead of peux, both mean can [I form] but pourrais is just politer). Kanda could use some lessons, she'd gotten used to the coarse swordsman whose version of polite was not yelling insults at you,she seemed to avoid the brunt of his attacks but it was impossible for him and Allen or Lavi to exist in the same room without a fight starting. In his defence Lavi was inclined to tease him, calling him feminine or Yuu-chan. She remembered the first time Kanda had decided he wanted her to join him for dinner. He'd walked up to her door, pounded on it and told her he wanted to eat and she was to come down immediately. That had rubbed her up the wrong way and she'd promptly refused. This had led to a shouting match where he'd threatened to break down the door. She'd told him to go ahead it would be his problem not hers and Fou, the Chinese screen in her bathroom had told him he would get it if he tried. He'd stormed off and tried again later with what sounded like half the household guiding him. She laughed at herself. She couldn't control her thoughts today. They errantly drifted. She returned to her book. What Anne Bonny and Mary Reed had done had been strictly forbidden, in fact they could have been killed if they'd been discovered. On the topic of forbidden, nothing much was prohibited here. Not to her at any rate except for the West Wing. She knew where it was now, she'd even got to the first landing on the flight of stairs but had turned back, unable to continue. The thing about living with Komui was, well, things and places were usually restricted for a reason. Go somewhere where you were told not to and anything could happen. You could get an onion bomb in the face, lose your hair, come out bruised or without limb or be temporarily changed. That had stuck with her through out her life. Even now she was reluctant to enter restricted areas, even though no one really experimented (not to the best of her knowledge) and if they did they very certainly did not do it on Komui's level. She sighed and closed her book. She obviously wasn't going to get any joy here. Her mind was too active for reading. She lay back, letting her mind wonder. A large black crow cawed and landed awkwardly on the rail. It had two large spots beneath each other on its forehead and answered to the name of Howard Link. He also answered exclusively to Leverrier.

"Luncheon will begin in exactly an hour on the patio; your presence will be welcomed. You're expected to freshen up."

_Translation_, she thought_, you will be present._

"Ok, sure, I'll see you in an hour."

***

"You look very pretty, Lenalee-chan" Miranda complemented.

"You'll do" Lulubell eventually decided.

This was the equivalent of a glowing commendation and Lenalee laughed. Certainly she'd been exposed to more finery in the past 2 or so months than she had ever thought existed but that had a lot to do with the fact that she was only woman here with decent proportions. Dresses did not look so good on furniture. A light dress graced her figure. A flowing skirt made of silk made her legs look longer then they were and a strategically placed ribbon made her waist seem smaller than it was. Short, puffy sleeves and a modest bodice decorated her top half. The powder pink of it accented the colour in her cheeks and complemented her gentle complexion. Her hair stayed in the last hair style Rhoade had put it in

"Thank you Miranda, provided I'm not over done I'm sure it will do."

"You can never be over done," sniffed Lulubell: "unless you wear an evening gown and make up during the day, which is quite tasteless let me tell you, there is no limit on looking good. It is to be expected. The trick is to get someone capable of doing things properly. Knowing how to shape you nails well, what colours complement what you're wearing and your face. I used to have quite an astute maid, she knew how to do things properly, she also happened to be a good fighter so I often sent her out to fight. Such things were so distasteful and definitely beneath me but **certain people** felt the need to kill her in the battle field. I mean really and it is impossible to get good help."

"My, my look at the time Lenalee-chan, you'd better get going or you'll be late."

"Thanks guys, I'll see you later"

***

"Ah, my dear and how do you find yourself this fine morning? Beg my pardon afternoon. Kanda, greet the young lady."

The only response from the stony faced man was a curt nod in her direction.

"I am quite well, thank you. Can I enquire as to the occasion?"

Kanda, Allen and Tyki sat round the table, Lavi was making a valiant attempt to steal some food and Bookman was making an effective one to keep him away from it. Besides her chair, three others stood open. One she guessed was Rhoade's, the other two however were any one's guess. One of the chairs pulled itself out for her and she sat. Leverrier crawled on to the table and Allen 'accidentally' knocked over the gravy bowl, in his direction, washing him clean away. They needed s new table cloth after that but nobody seemed particularly bothered. Lavi and Bookman filled the empty seats after the gravy had been dealt with.

"So, shall we eat?"

***

After days of wondering in the forest, Komui recognised the area he was in. With both trepidation and exhilaration they entered the foreboding gates of the palace. The golems pre empted there attack. Scouting the area, returning live images and sound to a CRT screen Reever had been carrying. They oohed and aahed appreciatively, whether at the technology or the architecture was debatable. One of them had flown round the side of the house to a beautiful patio. Rich designs embellished the pillars and roofs and drew attention to an equally extravagant table. Certainly there was a marvellous view on the north facing patio. It looked out on to a garden that would have warmed Lenalee's heart. A maze made of carefully cultivated edges was barely visible behind a wall of similar hedges on the left. You could see the same portion of a crochet field to the right and a beautiful fountain was the resplendent centre piece. An old world garden path ran round either side, delving into the expanse behind it. Then Lenalee came into focus, she had her arms raised in front of her, defensively to Komui's mind, she was shaking her head vehemently. She was a picture of loveliness. They released a collective sigh of relief, worried that she would've been hurt. They couldn't get the golem close enough to hear without being spotted but she seemed to be saying something along the lines of no. no, no, no. admittedly you didn't need to be a first class lip reader to see that. A man with dark hair and skin and a debonair look was trying to force wine on her. Komui came to the obvious conclusion, this man was evidently trying to get his precious Lenalee inebriated so that he could take advantage of her because she had held out for the past few months. He saw her laugh politely, obviously trying to find a safe way out of the terrifying situation. Well he wouldn't stand for it, over his dead body. He would protect her innocence. He pulled an ominous looking remote from his pocket, straightened his hat and strengthened his resolve.

"Komurin, save Lenalee."

***

"Can I interest you in some wine? Finest stuff available in the 18th century, we've had it for quite awhile. White, so quite perfectly made for a lady's gentle palate. The bouquet isn't too shabby either." Allen offered as Tyki Mikk held out the bottle to show her.

She politely shook her head.

"No thank you, wine is not my thing."

"Maybe something a little stronger? We have brandy and vodka if you like?" Tyki teased her.

She laughed with everyone else, shaking her head furiously and waving her hands to emphasize the gesture.

"No, no, I'm quite fine thank you Mr Mikk. A well bred lady never drinks before midday if ever."

"Quite right." Lavi nodded. "Ne Yuu-chan." He began, effectively monopolizing Kanda's attention while Allen stole his soba. On realising the trick Kanda lashed out at both of them. Lenalee expertly dodged a crystal wine glass, filled with the wine she'd been offered earlier. Behind her came the sound of crystal on metal. She turned to see something that looked suspiciously like something her brother would build standing with wine dripping done what must be its head and neck. It sparked and fizzled like it was short circuiting and its 'eye' became red.

"save Lenalee" it cackled.

The table's occupants barely dodged in time. The table split in half with a resounding crack and the machine turned to follow them. It raised one massive fore leg and prepared to attack. She found herself unable to move. She felt an arm encircle her waist and jerk her back.

***

Kanda was annoyed beyond belief, not a state you wished to meet him in. He was not amiable at the best of times. The rabbit and bean sprout had stolen his soba and some strange creation had shown up ruining the rest of his meal. The first thing he saw when he completed his hasty roll and landed in attack position was the girl. She was staring at the thing, bewildered, unmoving. He darted forward, gripping her round the waist, pulling her out of the line of fire. His gaze darted upwards and round, taking in every detail. An unknown attacker was in the grounds and had wasted no time in getting to them. She would be more of a hindrance then a help in battle. His first priority would have to be to get her to safety. She gasped as he spun her round, supporting her weight on his chest. His arm snaked under her legs, above the knee so that his upper arm supported her back. With his free hand he drew Mugen. Two well planned steps later, he was at the base of a pillar. He'd calculated everything perfectly. He launched himself up, using the pillars on either side of him as jumping blocks, till he reached the top. A small, enclosed, long forgotten alcove, once used as a spy's hole, lay there. He gripped the edge with the hand with Mugen in and dumped her on the ledge.

"Stay there." He ordered, dropping down to the ground without checking if she intended to obey him.

He landed in the middle of a fierce fight, the machine it seemed was impossible and unstoppable, and it destroyed everything around it, even though everything just repaired itself because of the spell. An abstract part of his brain noted that it was wearing a hat. A very tacky and tasteless one though he couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen it before. Whatever, not like it mattered. Half the household was downstairs by now. The idiots they were just going to get in hiss way. Well they'd have to get out of it if they wanted to be annoying. Again he cursed the loss of Mugen's most powerful ability, he could've made quick work of the thing if it had. The moyashi was shouting and pointing and black, winged, triangles that seemed to have greatly insulted Timcampy. He was tearing at them, quite indignant. The twins, Jasdebi and David where revelling in the excuse to show off. Twin revolvers now as they had once carried twin revolvers in the past. Four men ran round the corner. Four very familiar men. One had made more trouble for Kanda then he was happy to have in his life. The sister complex. Now he was annoyed.

***

From her raised vantage point Lenalee Lee saw the series of events more completely than anyone else. Saw her brother and the science team come in, in time to see the untimely demise of what must have been their pet project since she'd been taken. Destroyed by a blow to the nape of its neck, still desperately chanting her name. not before it had tried to cook Lavi. Allen was trapped inside though, along with Timcampy, it had a healing chamber and had been hell bent on fixing him. Rhoade was desperately trying to pull him out, the corner of his jacket was closed in the doors and Tyki Mikk and Sheryl Camelot were desperately trying to keep the fragile Rhoade safe. Tyki was precariously balance atop the Sheryl's lid and trying to persuade Rhoade to come down, into his hands which were always just below her. Timcampy was mutilating black versions of himself and Tapp seemed to be losing to Relo. How she didn't know, but losing none the less. Lavi was trying to avoid being put out and to burn Johnny at the same time while the twins had evidently decided Reever was perfect target practice. Komui was throwing a mini hissy fit. Someone had been bright enough to remove his dart gun, his robot was destroyed and Kanda was descending on him. It was all over in a matter of minutes, well Allen was still inside the robot, Komurin she thought but she couldn't be sure she'd heard correctly and half of the things were weaping because of the onion bombs. There was too much noise and chaos for any certainty, but the science team was flat on their backs, little winged triangles either floating forlornly near them or in bits around them and Kanda looked like he was about to turn Komui into a kebab. She hastily climbed down from her lofty position, anxiety flooding her body, she had to get there before Kanda did something she would regret in the morning.

***

Kanda was so ready to give the sister exactly what was coming to him. On his left the stupid rabbit was attempting to extract himself from an omelette. His attention devolved to the sister complex. Something flashed to his left and suddenly the sister was in front of him. He glared at her, taken aback.

"Please, please, leave them alone. They didn't mean any harm," he snorted at that, surveying the wreckage that surrounded them. "Ok well maybe they did but it was only because they thought I was in danger, they were only looking out for my well being. If anyone should be punished it's me. and if, if you let them stay here I'll keep an eye on them, keep them out of trouble."

Uncoordinated moans and protests came from all directions. He snorted and glared down at her. Unbalanced by the tears in her eyes. It only made his glare all the colder. She would do that for them? Brave his wrath for them?

***

Lavi turned his head away, pity filled him for his new friend who felt so much. For she asked a favour from Kanda and he had never been one to show pity.

***

Tyki sighed as he laid his niece in the safe confines of his brother, the chest. Poor girl, had she not learnt what he was like? Mercy was not an emotion that affected Kanda.

***

From the confines of his iron cage, swathed in bandages as he was, Allen heard and sighed. Lenalee was asking the impossible, he had lived with Kanda for more than 200 years now and in all that time he had never once seen anything that indicated that he was capable or pity, or mercy, or compassion or any of the emotions she was appealing to right now. He knew that she thought of the people in her life as pieces of the puzzle that was her world. A fact he'd learnt after stumbling across her after a nightmare and now she would loose what must be an integral part of that world. He was glad he could not see.

***

Lenalee stared up at her captor trying desperately to blink away the tears that had come unbidden to her eyes. He only glared harder and her heart sank. His gaze gave away nothing and she saw Lavi hide his face. Fear rippled through her but she determinedly kept it from her face. If he couldn't respect weakness then she'd be as strong as she had to, to keep the last of her family alive.

"Che, whatever. Do what you please, it's not my problem."

He sheathed his blade and stalked away.

"Thank you" she murmured after. "Thank you so much."

***

A majority of the Ark's population was in the infirmary, watching the new guests. The thermometer known only as the matron stood guard over her patients. This included the science team and Allen. After he'd been successfully removed from Komurin he'd been brought here for treatment. They were the ones being kept over night. Lenalee was the only person, thanks to Kanda's quick actions, who'd been spared injury. She petted her brother's head in an attempt to regain her liberty. Nothing doing. Komui was doing several things at that moment in time but releasing Lenalee was not one of them. She sighed and gave up fighting a losing battle. Eventually after Komui decided that it was vital that she slept she returned to her room, falling instantaneously into an exhausted slumber. If she dreamt, she did not remember them in the morning.

***

'Well I don't know, he just won't wake."

Allen shook Komui half heartedly, already decided that waking him was impossible. They thrown water at him made such a din that Kanda had attempted to kill them and shook him silly. No result, none what so ever.

"Can i try something?" asked on of his friends. The one with the Australian accent.

"I don't think there is anyone here fit for marriage or that she would agree to marry and he knows it, do you think it will still work, Reever?" the guy with the crazy hair and glasses asked while his friend who hid his eyes under a hat, nodded. Reever seemed to be thinking things over. Evidently the gibberish made sense to him. He leant over and shook Lenalee's brother, a sigh escaped me. We'd done that and far more vigorously too.

"Chief, that Kanda guy is going to force Lenalee to marry him."

Allen never knew it was possible to move as fast as Komui did in that instant. In the space of 2 seconds he was wide away and armed. Where he produced the blade from Allen did not know but suffice to say he looked … ominous.

***

Lenalee had learnt caution at her brother's knee and in his house. It was tragedy that had stolen their parents but he told her a certain amount of tragedy could be avoided with caution. It was a lack of caution and morals that had lead to the burglar getting some of Komui's potions on himself. Ones that had rendered him mute (mute was an inaccurate term, he could as it happened make noise, just cat noises, no human ones) and turned is skin a delightful shade of violet. It was a lack of caution that had lead the science team to the onion bombs. People did things for good reasons, told you to stay out because it was dangerous. Komui however had not grown up with a man anything like himself and so he had never learnt caution the way Lenalee had. When they said "stay out" and "it's dangerous" they couldn't possibly mean for him. Those were rules that bound other people, so what do you imagine was the first thing he did 4 evenings after he began his stay at the Ark? Lenalee had already extracted a promise from him not to do anything foolish and not to continue inventing and he'd willingly given his word. He had become comfortable here with Lenalee bringing him coffee once again. Once he was familiar with his temporary home (it was only home till he could find a way to get Lenalee out and safe where she belonged) and its inhabitants he found himself wondering why he had never been shown one wing of the house. He was warned against it, told that on pain of death he was never to go up there. Did he listen? If he had would he have been Komui?

That is how Kanda came back to his rooms one day to see a man he had dubbed "sister complex", who had caused him more trouble then he was worth, fiddling with an hour glass. He was trying to dismantle the glass to get to the Lotus inside. Fascinated by how it worked. Defying the laws of both gravity and nature. No plant should be capable of living like that. It was a special plant in more ways then he knew. It was the one that counted down the beats left to Kanda's heart. The one that counted down his life, so that he would cease to exist when it did. When the last petal fell.

**A/N:** gazebo = pergola = marquee  I feel gratified. I sat down on Sunday afternoon and just wrote this. Also in the beginning the fourteenth calls Tyki and Kanda simultaneously with the term you. In French he would've used vous which is not only a polite, formal way of talking but also used when addressing multiple people.


	4. Flower in the Hourglass

**A/N: **finally, I am baaaaaack! With an update to boot. The discussion between Komui and Kanda was sparked by Rush Hour 3. Komui and Lenalee actually speak French as a third language and when Komui is worried e tends to talk in a combination of French and English (I don't think it is possible to mix up you home language and second language, especially not when they are as different as English and Mandarin, but your second and third are okay.) Sorry to have kept you guys waiting so long, I hope what I am posting now makes it worth the wait. Reviews are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **how many of you have done probability in maths. Well one of the things you do is work out how probable something is based on internal and external factors. The probability of me owning -man or Beauty and the Beast comes to, let me see so if you take that into account then you do this, er… zero. i.e. it is impossible

**Flower in an Hourglass**

Many people believe that animals have an instinct that preserves them. An ability to smell danger. Senses that allow them to predict things like an earthquake, senses that keep them alive. They warn them when to back off and when to attack. A human is a form of animal, it too possesses survival instincts, maybe not to the degree that an animal does but evolution has equipped them for survival. Evolution was known to make mistakes though, skip people out; these people are commonly known as the terminally stupid. Komui was one such being. Kanda was in many ways a man of action. He was intelligent, make no mistake, and often thought before doing something but there were times when he relied on gut instinct. Times like now. he knew what would happen if the lotus was harmed and before his mind had time to catch up with his body; Mugen was pressed solidly against Komui's throat.

"I'm sorry but what do you think you are doing? I'm working here, come back later once I've figured out how to get this thing from its glass."

Luck saved him, he moved to retrieve something from his bag and in doing so, he missed Mugen's blade by a mere inch. Looking up he received a sudden and much-needed dose of fear, kind of like the adrenaline you give to a person in anaphylactic, the type that keeps there lungs open. Kanda was an intimidating individual at the best of times but when he was angry… suffice to say he would send the monsters under the bed running for cover. Komui's brain started to make up for the overtime it missed since moving to the Ark (not that he'd been the one with overtime issues back at the cottage but his brain was skipping over minor details like that) as he searched for a solution. Finally, he landed on one, not one he would've used had he thought it through but Komui's mouth had a tendency to move faster than his brain, and that was saying something.

"You promised" he managed to choke out as Kanda prepared to deliver the finishing blow. "You promised to let us stay so that Lenalee would be happy. You promised not to hurt us."

He was grasping at straws and knew it, he also knew fare and full well that no promises had been made, least of all ones that exempt him from physical harm. He did however provide Kanda with the perfect means for revenge and a way to ensure that nothing like this ever happened again. Unbeknown to Komui he was right, Kanda could not hurt him without upsetting Lenalee. Something kept him from upsetting her, he was sure it was the spell.

"She promised to keep you in line. When it is phrased like that the most logical way to deal with this is first to remove you from my room and then to go deal with her as it seems the fault is hers."

There were sun-bleached bones with more colour than Komui's face had at that moment.

***

Lenalee was searching for Komui. Actually, the entire castle was looking for Komui. Despite his short stay, all the inhabitants had learnt that he was a dangerous man when left to his own devices. A mirror (that never reflected anyone) named Crowley and a vanity bag with whom he was quite besotted were looking outside. They looked after the special section of the garden, it had man eating flowers and Lenalee could just see her brother trying to figure out how they digested their food. Jasdebi and David were shouting threats in the basement, taking their time to lay several traps. They called them ingenious, everyone else called them childish. Lenalee was not the type to object to someone doing something in their own home besides she thought that Komui would find the traps interesting. Well if he could devote two days to getting a ship out of a glass bottle without breaking the bottle, she was sure he would find the challenge of removing an armed bomb from a sake bottle equally attractive. She was with Allen and Lavi, turning one of the living rooms upside down when Kanda appeared. He marched straight up to her.

"Your bastard brother has been in my room, I do recall you telling me that you would keep him out of trouble."

He looked down at her expectantly. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's, her arms moved helplessly up and down as she tried to find a reasonable explanation. Nothing came; nothing ever did when Komui was involved. Reasonable and Komui were far from synonymous; in fact, they shouldn't be said in the same sentence unless there was a negative in the sentence. Eventually she did the only thing she could. She bowed slightly saying.

"I am very sorry for my brother's behaviour."

Kanda opened his mouth to say something, she never found out what because Komui burst in at that exact moment.

***

"Now you listen to me…"

Often those who evolution forgets are abandoned by luck too. Whether luck hated him or whether he suffered from short-term memory loss was unclear, the result was the same. Komui temporarily forgot what he was supposed to call Kanda and used the only other word that fit.

"…YOU."

"You had better not be addressing me bastard nobody calls me Yuu."

"I never called you, Komui I called you, you. I know who I am and I would never dream of calling you me."

"What are you going on about sister-complex? There is no one called Mi here and I will slit you open and tie you up using your innards if you ever call me Yuu!"

"I told you I never called you me, and there are many me's here everybody calls themselves me. Do you have name issues is that why you object to being called you? Is it so terrible if someone dares not call you by your given name?"

"What do you mean bastard. You are calling me by my given name."

"What is your given name?"

"It is Yuu!"  
"I know who I am and I have been standing here for well over a minute so don't tell me I am me. I understand the concept."

"I am Yuu!"

"No you aren't I am me, you are you and Lenalee is Lenalee. Which is why me is responsible for me's actions"(Nobody ever accused Komui of grammatical excellence, especially when he was scared, and no one was ever likely to)

"I know that I am Yuu, that is what I have been trying to tell you and who is this Mi? what has he done? Is he one of your friends cause then I will kill both of you!"

"No you listen to me, I am me and-"

"oh so you are still the problem, why do you call yourself Mi? are you schizophrenic sister complex it wouldn't surprise me!"

"Now you listen to me."

"Don't call me Yuu, you bastard Mi!"

Lenalee decided to butt in, as entertaining as it was to watch she could see the situation travelling towards a one way route to hell.

"hey, hey, hey. Listen to me. Big brother his name is Kanda Yuu, as in Y-U-U. Kanda, my brother forgot your name so he was calling you, you as in vous. We are not naturally French, he was using a term he knew. Me is English it means moi. We all understand each other? Now let's try to not kill the furniture."

"Che, whatever. Everybody get out! Oh no, not you"

A hand gripped Lenalee's shoulder as she moved off with Komui.

"You and I need to talk about the Sister Complex."

***

After a little persuasion from the girl, the sister complex had left muttering something about just having escaped Skinn Bolic only to find him. The comment made no sense to him. He hated things that confused him so he turned to the girl for clarity. She blushed profusely.

"He was a suitor back at the village."

"For you?"

Stupid question, who else did he think this Skinn Bolic would court? She nodded focusing on her feet.

"What was he like?"

Surprise flittered across her face and he felt slightly offended. He always made sure he had as much information as possible about his rivals. It made them easier to beat. Wait a second! Rival? Where had that term come from? He was certainly not some love struck fool, vying for a girl's attention. His face grew cold; pride stopped him showing confusion as it always had. Lenalee took it for anger at her silence.

"I-i-i-i'm sorry" she stuttered. "Skinn Bolic was one of the men at our village. His uncle, the Earl, was the most influential man in the village so he usually got what he wanted. Well after the church bake day, he made up his mind. You see he is very fond of sweets and he took to the cakes and biscuits I made. It's quite a relief to be away from him he used to come round nearly everyday to get me to cook for him and to try and persuade me to marry him. He is however a bit of a Neanderthal so the meetings never went too well and Komui, objected to them."

He pressed his lips together and stared at her.

"You need to control your brother; one more offence and I remove him."

"I understand, it won't happen again I promise."

It was a few minutes before Kanda left the room and much to his horror he realised he understood Komui slightly better than he had. The girl was as much a flower to the sister complex as his lotus was to him. He kept her separate in his own way, in a glass bubble so people could look but never touch. He wondered if the sister complex realised that his time was running out, Kanda's had stopped long ago, but as she got older she'd drift closer to the edge of his bubble, till eventually she'd leave it. Kanda was not the sympathetic type, this revelation did not make him feel anything other than annoyance for the sister complex. It was not a route his mind would've followed if that was all he could gain from it, no he'd thought about this as a military tactic. His mind stored and manipulated the information; hopefully it would bring him a certain degree of peace. He stood up as fluidly as always and went to check on his hourglass.

***

As soon as Lenalee was out the room, Komui pounced on her.

"Brother!"

"My precious Lenalee, did he hurt you? You are okay, entirely fine?"

He turned her round, looking for so much as a hair out of place. Eventually he decided that she would live and released her.

"What did you do?"  
I went up to the west wing and I was looking at some of the stuff in there, he has some interesting items…" Komui trailed off when he saw the look on Lenalee's face.

"YOU. DID. WHAT?"

He didn't have time to dodge the kick she directed at him. Instead, he sailed out and down the staircase.

"Brother!" she shouted after him. "Reflect on your actions and don't do it again."

***

Komui and Lenalee wouldn't have recognized the cottage they shared if they had seen it. Snow lay thick on the ground even though none entered the grounds of the enchanted castle. The door hung off one of its hinges and the contents of the cupboards were strewn across the floor. Skinn Bolic stood in the middle of the kitchen, destroying everything he got his hands on. He'd just returned from an extended hunting trip for his uncle. It had taken the better part of two months but had been planned for one. An unexpected landslide had trapped them in a neighbouring village until he'd found a way round. He'd come back expecting to find Lenalee Lee and her hot chocolate and cake, instead he found a house that hadn't been lived in for at least two weeks, if not more. There wasn't as much as a scrap of edible food. He snarled and yelled for the Lee family, he received no answer. The people in the village sighed, Skinn had a loud and carrying voice and they knew trouble was coming. Skinn was considered mentally unstable by most of the villagers, not that any of them would ever say it to his face. He had once beaten up a new maid at the manor when she had failed to make his boiled egg sweet. They'd all been very pleased when he'd become attached to the foreign Miss Lee. The only problem had been her over protective and (in the villagers' opinion) somewhat crazy older brother. He would never consent to her marrying someone let alone Skinn Bolic. They had blamed her oddness on that. She had never been interested in village boys, maybe because she knew that none of them were welcome where her brother was. He was probably the most pigheaded man in the village, his only rival on that count was Skinn Bolic. Right now, that was what worried the villagers; Skinn Bolic wasn't the type to let something go. His logic only allowed for the fact that Lenalee made the best sweet stuff in the village. The snow was melting fast, it wouldn't belong until the Millennium Earl's men came knocking at their doors, looking for answers. It wasn't without cause that the men had become known as Akumas among the village people. What worried them was not that they had nothing to say. Komui had howled about a beast living in a castle buried deep in the woods that had kidnapped Lenalee. No one had really paid him any heed. He was a known lunatic. They had decided that either he was deluding himself or he planned to move with Lenalee and lacked subtlety or a good excuse. As of yet no one was sure which was more probable. What worried them was that Skinn Bolic was simple enough to believe the mad ravings of Komui Lee, single minded enough to get it from the people, and he would not rest until his source of candy was returned to him.


	5. Lunch

**A/N:** this chapter has come up as soon as was humanly possible, I blame any slowness on having 300 girls on the internet, it takes forever to upload a document. This chapter is probably not essential to the story line but it will introduce you to most of the characters that have been absent so far. I'd like some reviews if nobody minds, no flames though, I'll let Lavi deal with them. Does anyone know what the thing Tiedoll uses to fight with is called? I've referred to it as a sculptor's tool in the story but I can't, for the life of me, find the name.

**Disclaimer:** I don't even know who owns what so far as Beauty and the Beast and -man are concerned. With all the legal rights attached to making things into movies and animes and whatever else, I only know that I don't own anything.

**5. Lunch**

Life in the enchanted castle had returned to what could be called normal. Everyone had decided it would be in their interests to see that Komui had a lab and so he was provided with one. By now, Lenalee knew just about everyone in the house and everyone knew her and the Science Team. Komui behaved himself and everybody kept an eye out just in case he didn't. Lenalee was having a bit of an off day. She was in the most beautiful, ornate ballroom she'd seen in her life listening to Marie the organ play but somehow she couldn't seem to concentrate. Her muscles felt tired even though she hadn't exercised and she had a splitting headache. She'd always enjoyed music and thought a little organ music would help but now as her headache approached a migraine she thought that maybe it wasn't the best of ideas.

"I'm sorry Marie, do you mind if I leave I think that I just need to lie down. My headache just keeps on getting worse and worse, not that the music wasn't beautiful but I'm just…"

"It's fine, go lie down, rest can be the best thing, do you want me to find Matron?"

"No, I'll be okay, thanks and sorry."

She waved lightly and made her way to the stairs, forgetting about luncheon entirely.

3 hours later

It was rare for Kanda to attend a meal with the rest of the Ark's inhabitants but when he did, he expected the presence of a majority of the rest of the group, those who could get to the table at any rate, even though they didn't eat. He now sat at a nearly full table while one space remained conspicuously empty. Lenalee Lee was usually very punctual, she was never late and certainly not by a full half hour and when they had a meal involving everyone she was always present. She had only once skipped a meal with Kanda at the beginning of her stay. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table, glaring at the door. He was unduly annoyed, probably just because his soba would be getting cold. Crowley had been sent up to find Lenalee. The door creaked open and the hand mirror slunk back into the room.

"Well, where _is_ she?"

"Well, you see… due to the circumstances… she not feeling… I mean I'm sure it's not major but… I don't think"

"SPIT IT OUT YOU STUPID VAMPIRE!"

Flustered and pushed into a corner, Crowley answered the question without thinking about the repercussions of his answer.

"She's not coming."

"WHAT!"

Kanda ran out the room to the sound of Komui applauding.

Lenalee woke from the semi sleep she'd entered to the sound of pounding on her door.

_What now?_ she wondered. Crowley had come by a few minutes before. She hadn't expected anyone after that, or maybe someone had gotten matron.

_There had been a gentle tapping on the door. She'd registered the noise somewhere in her aching head but Miranda had needed to wake her fully before she could respond. She'd opened the door and Crowley had slunk in. he'd managed to stutter out that everyone was waiting for her so they could eat lunch. Her stomach had sunk; she'd forgotten the midday meal. In fact, she'd slept through a majority of it. Miranda had started panicking which had set Crowley off. After she'd calmed both of them down she tried to rectify her error._

"_I'm sorry Crowley. I'm feeling very sick at the moment. I have no appetite at all, do you think you could excuse me? And give everyone my apologies, I'll apologize too tomorrow but right now I'm just going to sleep."_

_He'd nodded, understanding. She couldn't see herself because he didn't reflect but she didn't think she looked much better than she felt. He'd promised to explain and she'd slid back into the half sleep state that he had brought her from._

"You get down to dinner this instant!" a familiar and furious voice shouted from outside. She vaguely remembered her first week here, reminded of his rude dinner invitation but she didn't have the strength to shout back now. All she wanted to do was sleep. She wondered if he would go away if she ignored him.

"Come out NOW!"

Even if she wasn't prepared to shout back, it seemed that Fou was.

"Listen to me you stupid idiot, she's trying to sleep so how about you shut up and go away!"

"I don't give a damn! It's the middle of the day! She should sleep at night, if she insists on staying up at night it's not my problem! I want her down at dinner now!"

"NO! You can send Wok up here, a little herbal tea would do her the world of good."

"Firstly! I am no ones–"

"Yuu-kun. You should speak politely to girls, at all times. I'm sure miss Lee has a good reason to be in bed."

The voice came from ground level, Lenalee recognized it as Tiedoll, a sculptor's tool. She followed their conversation, nearly seeing it, even though they were at the other side of the door. She just knew them so well."

"She is being difficult! What's it got to do with you?"

"I will feel I have failed as a father if I can't teach you how to behave round a girl."

"You're NOT my father!"

She could just imagine the look on Kanda's face, he would be furious and glare with absolutely no effect. Tiedoll continued as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Besides how will you ever manage to marry her if you don't know how to treat her properly?"

"WHO WANTS TO _MARRY_ HER? Don't come up with things like that on your own."

The bell like laughter, well he was a bell, of Daiysha joined the conversation.

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to stop it for you! I am not going to marry Lenalee!"

Lenalee knew from experience that Komui had selective hearing and good ears. Not that you needed good ears to hear the shouted argument that was taking place just outside her room.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lenalee-chan! Your brother will protect you from this monster."

"Who let him bring his drill to the table?"

"Someone catch him."

She missed some of the other shouts from downstairs but in all fairness, the dining room was quite a way away from her room. Didn't sound like she'd be unable to hear for long. In fact, it sounded like the entire household was coming to her room.

"He's got a blow gun, some one confiscate!"

"SISTER COMPLEX! I'm going to kill you!"

"Watch and learn Kanda, this is how you talk to a young lady. My dear? Can we ask why you aren't coming to lunch? Truly, your company would be a great pleasure."

After a few thuds and the sounds of people trying to keep other people quiet there was eventually silence, or as close to it as you got in the castle.

"She's feeling ill!" cried Crowley, "You never gave me a chance to finish, she's sick!"

Soft murmurs replaced the shouts and banging that had dominated the hall earlier. She heard someone restrain Komui and relaxed. Finally, she would get some sleep.

Kanda had never been sick in his life and most of the Ark's inhabitants couldn't get sick either. There bodies weren't cut out for it. In fact, the only people who could get sick in the castle were Link, Allen and Tyki. Apparently she had lost her appetite because she was sick. The sister complex was struggling to get to the door but the Bean Sprout and one of the crazies that had come to rescue Lenalee were holding him back. Kanda tried to think of times when the others were sick. He avoided Tyki Mikk as far as possible, and so he had never noticed if Tyki had been sick. Certainly, he had never cared. He would have gleaned a small amount of pleasure from the fact and would've revelled in the alone time. He paid less attention to the crow than he did to Tyki Mikk, maybe because Link did not feel the need to annoy Kanda at every possible chance. That left the Bean Sprout. Try as he might Kanda found himself unable to reconcile the image of the Moyashi not eating and reality. That was what decided it for him, she probably just didn't want to come down. He glared at the door, as if that would make it open. Had the door been alive it probably would have, and it wouldn't have been the first to run from that glare. Instead, a well-placed kick destroyed the doors lock and Kanda marched in.

He stopped dead at the sight of her but his face never lost its cold look. He stared at he while his mind tried to decide on a new course of action. Her hair was stringy and sweaty. Her face was whiter than the sheets and she looked half the size she usually did. Almost as if, she had fallen in on herself. He was verbally assaulted by three different females as he stood examining her but he didn't register what was said. Only that an annoying buzz had filled the air. Without warning, he leant down and slung her over his shoulder. Not waiting to hear the rest of the world's complaints.

"Sick people belong in the infirmary" he muttered

Lenalee thankfully laid her head on the cool pillows of the infirmary. The Matron had kept everyone at bay while Kanda had taken her to where the matron could examine her. She knew the relative peace wouldn't last for long. Komui would leave her alone to sleep but once she was awake, she would be bombarded. She managed a small half smile at Kanda and a half-coherent thank you before she closed her eyes.


	6. Dancing Lessons

**A/N: **okay, it has been about three weeks since Lenalee got sick (she just had a really bad dose of the flu for those of you who were wondering) so she's all better now. This is a little bit of a fluffy chapter, again no action but it is building the relationship. It was a little harder to write even though it was so short because a majority of it was done from Kanda's point of view. He's hard to write so forgive me if he's a little OOC and also remember that he is falling I love, even though he is too thick to notice it. kudos to whoever picks up the kuroshitsuji reference. Please rate and review and thank you to those of you who do.

**Disclaimer:** I am about as capable of owning -man and Beauty and the Beast as I am of flying.

**6. Dancing Lessons**

In society, dancing has often been considered an acceptable way for young people to get to know each other. While styles, people and places change as you travel through the world you will always find that dance plays a special part in whichever culture.

Kanda was snarling more than usual. He was trying to figure how he had landed up in this mess. It had been that stupid Tyki Mikk's fault, he had been bugging Kanda about how he couldn't dance and the girl had overheard. Nobody had ever cared before and he didn't see why he needed to know how to dance, of all the stupid pastimes. You couldn't kill someone with dance, you could only make yourself look like a fool. Tiedoll had, of course, agreed to the idiocy, he always complained about Kanda not doing an artistic thing. Marie was actively helping the process by providing music!

"Kanda, Kanda watch here, Tyki and I will show you a simple waltz and then you can try with me, okay? Marie started playing a French waltz, not one of the ones that were overly slow but still slow enough to put someone to sleep in Kanda's opinion. Lenalee and the Noah began spinning round the dance floor and he felt something in the pit of his stomach. Rage was the dominant emotion, no doubt because he had to take part in this nonsense but for some reason he also felt as if he hated Tyki Mikk far more than usual. Whatever, this was stupid. Some idiot was making it worse, it sounded like the sister complex, seemed he didn't like the idea of Lenalee dancing. Good, maybe he could make up for all the trouble he'd caused Kanda by getting him out the lessons. It was, vaguely amusing, when he tackled Tyki Mikk and Kanda felt absolutely no remorse for not having stopped him. Relo was hovering over the event, howling at Komui, while Timcampy was trying to guide Lenalee away from the conflict.

"Brother, you are over reacting! Kanda doesn't know how to dance and I was going to teach him, Tyki was helping me illustrate the basic steps!"

"Don't you see Lenalee-chan it's a ploy! They're trying to steal you from me by making you fall in love with him while dancing."

"WHAT THE HELL! Sister complex I am going to come there and kill you!"

"Don't worry baKanda, no one actual believes that you could attract a girl"

"Shut-up Moyashi!"

"All of you keep quiet. Brother, if you can't deal with me helping a friend go sit somewhere else, Kanda put that sword away. Marie, give me two minutes before we try teaching Kanda with music."

She helped the stupid Noah up and made her way over to where Kanda was standing. Reluctantly he returned Mugen to its sheath, glaring down at the girl. She hitched her skirt up slightly so that he could see her feet.

"Now watch, the basic step is one, it comes from the heel…"

Her right foot went a step forward.

"two…"  
she brought the left one to join it.

"three."

She raised the right foot again and put it down back next to her left foot.

"Now we repeat the step but with the other foot, come on Kanda, do it with me."

He brought his foot forward and tried to imitate what she was doing still not seeing the point. She watched his shoddy footwork with a slight frown.

"That'll do."

That was it? He could leave. Before she had time to change her mind he was moving.

"Come back here, I didn't mean you could go."

"Yuu-kun, don't be rude."

With a glare that would have reduced most people to a cinder, he turned round and returned to the annoying Chinese girl.

"Okay you take my hand, and we hold them out in front of us, like so. I put this hand on your shoulder, and you place your spare hand firmly on my waist."

Where? She had to be joking. Gingerly he placed his hand on her torso, the side of his finger barely touching her dress.

"Those are my hips, this is my waist. And I said firmly"

She gripped his hand moved it up and placed it up where it was supposed to be. Kanda felt as if his face was burning and he arranged it into an expression that wouldn't give him away. Suddenly he felt his cheek pinched between her fingers and she began pulling the corner of his mouth upwards.

"Before we start we're doing something about that sour look on your face. It's impolite because no matter how you feel you should always make the lady think that you are enjoying yourself. So smile happily."

"Ngnn"

What exactly was she doing? Smiling happily? When had he last done that? Had he ever? If he had, he'd forgotten a long time ago. He heard sniggers behind himself and began to turn, intent on reminding the rest of them exactly why you did not laugh at Kanda Yuu.

"Now, now, Kanda that just make you look like you're about to kill someone."

The laughter stopped abruptly, good, they understood. He'd enforce the lesson later. He tried to pull his face back into its usual impassive expression and looked down at her.

"That just looks like you're sucking on lemons."

Carefully and controlled he rearranged his features until he was sure they were in their usual antipathetic style.

"I guess that'll do, just remember not to frown."

Slowly they started moving to the beat of the music, round the side of the ballroom. He was barely breathing and stubbornly stared at the roof. He'd planned on watching his feet to see what they were doing but looking done meant looking at Lenalee Lee and he, for some strange reason, felt odd when doing that. Maybe looking at his feet would have been a better idea, he felt them land on something soft, undoubtedly her feet. He looked down, doing his best to look indifferent; briefly, he made eye contact with her before snapping his head back up and facing the ceiling. Why had she been looking up at him? She should have been checking her feet or something. As gently as they began, they slowed to a halt, at the same pace as Marie's decrescendo. Again,he dared a look down, this time she wasn't facing him, she was looking at the rest of the rabble. He noticed that he still hadn't let go of her, for some strange reason. He quickly corrected his error and not being one to miss an opportunity Kanda pulled himself free of the crowd, and of her. Heading upstairs to his room and his lotus.

The villagers feared Skinn Bolic and his single mindedness, the way he pursued something relentlessly. He'd come knocking on the doors, looking for answers and once he'd heard them some say he looked uninterested. One source of sweets was as good as another and the Confectionary looked as if it would be having more business. The villagers had relaxed. He didn't usually change his mind; Lenalee Lee would become a thing of the past. They'd laughed at how he'd seemed to take the stories so seriously in the safety of their own home. What they didn't know was that he wasn't the dangerous one, there was someone else who may have a reason for looking for Lenalee Lee. Well, maybe not Lenalee Lee but certainly for the place she currently resided. So, the next morning the people of the village woke to the sound of Akuma knocking on their front doors. All the able-bodied young men were _voluntarily_ leaving to help in the search and rescue of the Lees. Why some of them wondered? Had they known they would have lied to Skinn Bolic and they wouldn't have laughed when he took the stories seriously, in fact, they would have wept, because when he heard something odd he told his uncle. No one knew how long his uncle had lived there or exactly how old he was. Only the akuma's went in and out of the building and so far as the people knew, there was always a male heir so they had never asked any questions. They'd all been quite surprised when Skinn had arrived. There was not a time in living memory when a relative of the Noah clan had come and gone from that house, if they had traced it they would have known it was the first time ever since the family had moved there two centuries ago. Family might be the wrong word, man was better. The same man who had escaped his youngest brother's curse, or part of it at any rate, but in escaping his home had lost the ability to control it and the memory of where it lay. That self-same man heard a story from a nephew separated from him by countless generations. About a girl who had been taken by a familiar sounding man to a familiar sounding place. In a sequence of events that reminded him of an old curse, the last words he ever heard his youngest brother say. Before he had settled down in the village he had searched for his old home, but to know avail. Now, fate had handed him a way there on a golden platter. He wasn't missing the opportunity, the Millennium Earl was returning to the Ark.


End file.
